House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday Republicans plan to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law at the same time they approve a GOP replacement plan.

"We want to do this at the same time, and in some cases in the same bill," Ryan said during a town hall in Washington sponsored by CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper. "So we want to advance repealing this law with its replacement at the same time."

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Ryan faces a tough balancing act as he leads the House at the outset of Donald Trump's administration. He's attempting to hold together an unruly set of Republicans that includes Trump loyalists who want to see the President-elect's populist policies swiftly enacted, fiscal hawks who fret about the price tag of those policies and moderates still leery of the President-elect. Meanwhile, Democrats appear set to deny the GOP even limited support on any major initiatives.

Ryan, who waited weeks to even endorse Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination, also now knows his party's electoral fate is largely tied to his ability to help Trump succeed. And he remains committed to his own, much more detailed policy platform, years in the making. Ryan had long sought a Republican president to sign his entitlement reforms and budget cuts into law -- but hadn't counted on this Republican president.

Ryan huddled with members of Trump's senior staff this week to discuss repeal plans and timing. Trump has publicly lobbied for a rapid move to strip out the law, but Republicans have yet to identify exactly how they would replace it -- a roadblock that threatens to slow the process.

Ryan has worked to deepen ties with the incoming Trump administration, in part by giving Vice President-elect Mike Pence -- a long-time House colleague -- an office nearby, where Pence will huddle with lawmakers much like former Vice President Dick Cheney did during the George W. Bush administration.

Meanwhile, the House speaker was sidetracked briefly this week by a spat over a painting. Democratic lawmakers attempted to hang a painting of Ferguson, Missouri, that depicted police officers as pigs. When furious Republicans objected, Ryan threatened to invoke House rules to force the painting's permanent removal.